Mancherial: Defunct CCTV surveillance system at govt hospitals hits services

Recent assessments carried out by the department revealed that the surveillance system at the major chunk of UPHCs, PHCs, GGH and MCH was dysfunctional due to improper provision of the internet facility, removal of cameras and hardware related issues.

Mancherial: The CCTV camera-based surveillance system was found to be dysfunctional in a majority of government-run hospitals in the district, exposing security lapses not only for patients, but women staffers of the health and medical department.

The comprehensive surveillance system was installed across various health institutions including four urban primary health centers (UPHCs), three community health centers (CHCs), and 17 primary health centers (PHCs), the Government General Hospital (GGH), and Mother and Child Hospital (MCH) attached government medical college in the district headquarters during the regime of the then Collector Bharati Hollikeri around three years back.

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The CCTV cameras were being monitored by the District Collector, District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO), and Superintendents of the facilities, ensuring not only safety of patients and female employees of the department and helping them in tracking the attendance of health employees recorded through biometrics.

However, recent assessments carried out by the department revealed that the surveillance system at the major chunk of UPHCs, PHCs, GGH and MCH was dysfunctional due to improper provision of the internet facility, removal of cameras and hardware related issues. As a result, safety of patients and women employees are at risk, while attendance of the employees is not being tracked.

It was also learnt that the both Collector and DMHO were not given access to the surveillance system to prevent them from monitoring the hospitals. Consequently, doctors and employees are not discharging duties at UPHCs, PHCs, GGHs and MCH regularly, hitting services of the public.

Patients and female employees expressed concern over their safety in the hospitals in the wake of a recent brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. They requested the officials to take steps to address the problem and to enhance fool-proof security at the government-run hospitals.

When asked, DMHO Dr Harish Raj said that the CCTV surveillance system at some hospitals was dysfunctional due to lack of the internet facility and renovation of the facilities. He, however, stated that steps would be taken to ensure functioning of the system at all hospitals at the earliest.